Mitel Introduces High-Performance Satellite, Cable and Terrestrial Set-Top Box Solutions for Broadband Digital Television

Business Wire, May 15, 2000

Business Editors

OTTAWA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 15, 2000

Mitel Semiconductor, a division of Mitel Corporation (TSE:MLT.) (NYSE:MLT) (ME:MLT.) (LSE:MLT.L), today announced three set-top box (STB) devices that deliver performance and cost advantages for new broadband television systems.

The SL1935 and SL2100 tuners, and the MT350 demodulator build upon Mitel's expertise in radio frequency (RF), tuner, and STB integrated circuit design to deliver single-chip front-end solutions for satellite, cable and terrestrial systems.

Mitel's tuner ICs are used in STBs available from top global OEMs, and the new devices should strengthen this position as broadband television services are developed and introduced.

"Mitel Semiconductor's expertise in RF technology has enabled Samsung to increase customer satisfaction through superior performance and competitive pricing of our TV products," said Mr. D.Y. Jung, research and development manager, display and digital products division, Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.

Mitel Positions for Leadership in Digital Television STBs

According to Dataquest, the market for digital STB and Integrated Digital Television (iDTV) is expected to reach US $2.807 billion by 2003, from US $1.76 billion in 1999.* The transition to digital television is being driven by the ability to integrate broadband Internet and home gateway services, a combination that will revolutionize television as a personalized and interactive medium.

As the demand for new interactive services drives the conversion from analog terrestrial to digital broadcasting technology, silicon providers must deliver solutions that increase performance while meeting cost and form factor requirements. Mitel's expertise in integrating RF and demodulation into a single device provides customers with turnkey solutions that meet these needs and allow for fast time-to-market.

"The new devices support our strategy to provide a complete range of solutions that make digital TV practical and affordable," said Paul Fellows, product line manager, Mitel Semiconductor. "By applying our expertise in RF tuner and demodulator design, Mitel is helping system designers meet the requirements necessary to deliver new broadband digital television services."

High-Performance Devices Support Global Market Requirements

Maintaining high performance in set-top box applications is difficult because of the increasing number of channels, shifting frequencies, and the convergence of analog and digital broadband functions. Mitel provides reliable STB operation by optimizing phase noise performance in all three devices.

The SL1935 is a direct conversion tuner for satellite set-top boxes. With an integrated low phase noise PLL frequency synthesizer, and low-noise amplifier/AGC, the device minimizes the number of discrete components to lower system cost. The SL1935 achieves a phase noise level of -80dBc/Hz at 10kHz, which enhances signal integrity while eliminating the need for tracking filters.

The SL2100 is a cost-effective broadband down converter IC for use in cable tuner applications. It is compatible with digital and analog system requirements. The SL2100 includes a low-phase noise I2C controlled PLL synthesizer that covers a frequency range of 50 to 1400MHz, while achieving local oscillator phase noise of -90dBc/Hz at 10kHz for increased system performance.

The MT350 channel decoder is an integrated small-form factor Coded Orthogonal Frequency Divisional Multiplex (COFDM) demodulator for the DVB-T market, and is designed for maximum flexibility within terrestrial applications supporting both 2k and 8k modes of operation. A key differentiating factor of the MT350 is its ability to identify broadcast multiplexes in a few tens of seconds to permit extremely rapid end appliance installation. Fully integrated with a 10-bit A/D converter and a controller, the device imposes minimal software overhead upon the system CPU speeding time-to-market.

Support, availability and pricing reference designs are now available for customers designing any of these devices into their products. All three reference designs are fully supported, including a database of layout files and schematics. Information can be found at www.mitelsemi.com/new/SNIM4 and www.mitelsemi.com/new/cable.> The SL1935 is available to order now, in a 36-pin SSOP with tape and reel option, for under US $2.20 in 100K volumes. Packaged in a 28-pin SSOP, the SL2100 is sampling now, and will be available for under US $1.70 in 100K volumes. The MT350 is also sampling now, offered in an 80-pin PQFP package, and priced competitively.

Mitel will be demonstrating the three devices at the Mediacast 2000 Exhibition at Earls Court 2, London, May 15-17 at stand D100.

About Mitel

Mitel Semiconductor specializes in connectivity solutions for the communications and medical industries with a product range that includes components for both wired and wireless networks; microelectronics for enabling the convergence of voice and data; optoelectronic devices for high-speed Internet systems; and applications-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for medical applications such as pacemakers and hearing aids.